front brake shims

I just replaced the pads on my front brake and realized that the shims pictured in the manual were not on the caliper. The breaks work fine but I don't want to take her on the road if I should replace these shims, or were they never on the 1981 xj650 maxim? the book is for XJ's from 653cc-750cc

 

If you have the old style rectangular pads with a notch on each end that had the anti-squeal shims they should be there but are often missing. It won't hurt anything to use the brakes without the shims except of course for the squealing that might be annoying. If you can't find any you can make some by tracing the brake pad outline on a piece of tin and cutting it out leaving a couple of tabs on the side to bend up to hold them on. They should cover half the back of the pad as shown in the manual. What that does is cause the piston to press on the back unevenly so the front edge of the pad contacts the disc first when the brakes are applied. Be sure and get the shims on the correct end of the pads depending on which side you are installing them on.

 

Hey Juston, I have the larger shim available (the one that is "H" shaped that lives above the pads), drop me a note if you still need it.

 

I hope he was talking about the anti-squeal shims and not the H shaped springs. I wouldn't try to drive without the H shaped springs in place or the pads might come loose and get jammed.